Dutch police dispersed thousands of anti-blockade protesters outside The Hague on Sunday, a day before the country’s national elections began.
Reuters reports that police used batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd that authorities said they ignored rules of social distancing, as well as warnings from authorities.
Twenty people were arrested, authorities said, and two people were injured by police dogs after refusing to leave the area.
Many of those gathered in the crowd held yellow umbrellas and signs of opposition saying “Love, freedom, stop the dictatorship,” according to Reuters.
Police use water cannons and batons to break the protest against the blockade ahead of the elections in the Netherlands https://t.co/1GSLiJMb3G pic.twitter.com/nL9lNWJS4u
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 14, 2021
Despite the protest, the news media notes that the majority of Dutch voters support the blockade, as the rate of coronavirus infection in the Netherlands is at the upper end of European countries.
The country has been under heavy closure since January, Reuters notes, with meetings of more than two people banned and the first night curfew published since World War II. When the closure was extended, it caused several days of unrest across the country.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Netherlands has confirmed more than 1.1 million cases of coronavirus and more than 16,000 related deaths.
Dutch national elections begin on Monday and ballot boxes will be open for the next three days. Reuters notes that Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party, the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), is looking for four more years after winning in 2010.